


Teach Me How To Love You

by Roses_and_Tea



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU, Angst, Art Teacher, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Bucky and Steve, Comforting Steve, Crushes, Cute, Eventual Smut, Fanfiction, First Meeting, Fluff, Gay, Gay Bucky Barnes, M/M, Marvel - Freeform, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, PTSD, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, School, Slow Build, Stucky - Freeform, Students ship it, Teachers, University, alternative universe, english teacher, friends first, friendship group, mcu - Freeform, metting, trigger warning - ptsd, troubled bucky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-09 18:18:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7812247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roses_and_Tea/pseuds/Roses_and_Tea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Bucky comes home from almost losing his arm in the army he is persuaded to become a lecturer at a small Chicago university. There, he meets Steve, an art lecturer who is way to attractive for his own good. Maybe Bucky will like his new job a lot more than he thought he would.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

Bucky had been home from the army for 6 months now, and he had left his apartment three times. It was safe to say that his friends were getting worried. Whenever they would question his shut-off lifestyle he would reply with a gruff "worry about your own life," before ignoring them completely.  
They understood that he had had a tough time while he was away, nearly loosing his arm and loosing some of his teammates - and close friends - but that didn't mean that they would let him become more self-destructive than he already was. They had noticed how he had began starting his day off with a small glass of whiskey, even if he thought he was being discreet. He claimed that it helped him forget the nightmares but everyone knew that he had just fallen into the habit of it by now. 

"James, get up." Natasha shoved him forcefully, attempting to get him out of bed. "I've had enough of your sulking, you're being immature and pathetic and you're not helping yourself at all, now get up!" She knew her words were harsh but her friend needed to hear it. She just wanted what was best for him, after all .

"Natasha go away," Bucky spat back from under the unwashed covers. His entire room stank. He hadn't showered in weeks and he'd been wearing the same clothes for as long as he could remember. 

"No, I've had enough of your moping." Natasha pulled him until he fell onto the floor in a groaning lump. 

"Jesus Christ Tash, what's your problem?" Bucky hissed as he slowly picked himself up off the floor, the first real movement he had undergone in at least four days. 

"My problem is that you're lying here rotting away and not letting me or anyone else help!" She retorted, anger painted onto her delicate features. "We just want to help you, James," she added in a softer tone.

"Well I don't need your help."

"You've been lying here for five days, haven't showered in weeks and you've barely eaten over the past six months. You're skinnier than a matchstick and if you don't turn your life around right now, you'll probably be dead within a couple of weeks. And I really don't want to deal with your rotting corpse. It smells bad enough in here as it is."

"What do you want from me Natasha? I'm trying my damn hardest."

"No. No you're not James. I want you to get better, and your method of 'healing' is clearly not working, seeing as you've gotten nothing but worse over time. Just have a fucking shower and then I have something I need to talk to you about." 

"If I have a shower will you stop manhandling me?"

"Maybe." She smirked as he trudged into the bathroom. "And put some clean clothes on!"

 

By the time Bucky had washed weeks worth of grease, sweat and dirt off of himself and pulled on the cleanest clothes in his dirty apartment, Natasha had set up her laptop in his kitchen and had a file spread out on her lap.  
As Bucky shuffled glumly into the dark kitchen Natasha pulled out the chair next to her and shoved a cup of coffee into his hands. "Sit," she instructed, not even looking at him. Bucky was tempted to pour whiskey into his coffee as he had found that Irish coffee helped him a lot more these days but he knew it would only earn him a scolding from Natasha and although his friend looked dainty, she was the most bad-ass person Bucky had ever met. 

"Okay, so if you're going to get your life together you're going to need to: a) wash your clothes, b) tidy and clean your apartment, c) actually leave your apartment and d) get a job. Now those last two things would be considerable difficulty since you've become a human hermit but luckily you're friends with me." She counted the list off on her fingers, staring pointedly at Bucky. "I've talked to my boss and since you earned a degree in English before you enlisted into the army, he's more than happy to interview you, seeing as we're short on lecturers at the moment. But, you need to get yourself a shiny new attitude if you want to have any chance of actually getting the job."

"I don't want to work at the University with you Tash, I'm not good with children."

"They're not children, it's a university not kindergarten James," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah well, I'm no good at communicating anymore. You know that."

"You're better than you think you are. It's a great job and you already know some people who work there, like me and clint. Plus, the others that work there are all great and I think you'd get on really well with them. Just go to the interview tomorrow, please. You'll never get better if you don't help yourself. Having a job and something to do will take your mind of things. Trust me."  
Bucky knew she was right. Natasha was always right, it was just her thing. And he did need to get a job if he wanted to carry on living in his apartment, his army pension wouldn't last forever. If he was going to get a job he may as well get one with people he already knows, it would make everything a lot less stressful. Natasha was his best friend and he knew that she would make sure he was comfortable there. He was close was Clint too and he knew Sam pretty well. There were some others he had met briefly with Natasha like Bruce and Pepper. He mulled it over quietly, Natasha typing away on her laptop.

"Fine. I'll go to the interview. I won't be rude and I'll dress nicely, but you have to help me clean my apartment."

"Deal!" She grinned, slamming her laptop shut and giving Bucky a tight hug. Natasha wasn't a hug person and so Bucky knew that it had meant a lot to her that he had decided to take the interview. Although she could be harsh, Natasha cared about Bucky a whole lot more than she let on. 

 

The following day, Natasha was round Bucky's now clean apartment with a pair of smart, skinny, black trousers and a black shirt. A black tie to accompany them. She shoved him into the shower and told him to "hurry the fuck up," before making coffee for the both of them.  
Bucky scrambled into his new clothes and brushed his hair for the first time in what felt like forever. He had purposefully grown his hair out into the most non-military style he could think of, trying to get as far away from that life as he could. However the now shoulder length style looked very unruly and definitely not suitable for an interview, even when it was brushed. He hastily decided to pull it back into a loose bun, strands falling out and framing his face. It wasn't the smartest but it would have to do. 

He rushed out of his bedroom to see Natasha waiting for him impatiently in the hallway, tapping her foot restlessly. "My God. You actually look presentable. What happened the James Barnes that I'm used too?" She sneered, shoving a thermos of freshly brewed coffee into Bucky's hands.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny Tash, now come on or we're going to be late," he replied sarcastically, heading for the front door. It was the first time in at least two months that Bucky had actually left his apartment and he was a lot more nervous to venture into the streets of Chicago than he allowed himself to show.  
He followed Natasha like a lost puppy all the way to the university (he was lucky that he lived within walking distance as he didn't think he would able to brace the horrors of public transport just yet.  
The building was bigger than he expected as it wasn't a very well known university, but beautiful all the same. He realised that he had never actually visited his best friend at work, even though he lived close enough that it would be an easy walk. He reflected over the past six months and realised what a bad friend he had been, guilt washing over him. 

"I'm sorry," Bucky murmured from behind the redhead. She stopped in her tracks, almost causing Bucky to walk right into her back.

"For what James?"

"For being such a shitty friend the past six months."

"You went through a lot when you were away James, I understand." She smiled sadly at him, resting a comforting hand on the arm he almost lost.

"Still, it's no excuse to act the way I did. I'll try now. I'll try to get better, I promise."

"Come on, we're going to be late," Natasha replied after a long silence. 

"Yeah," Bucky whispered as he followed her once again.  
They strolled into the larger main building that looked a lot more modern on the inside to the rustic outside of the building. There was a sign saying 'Welcome to SHIELD University' just to the left of the entrance next to what looked like a receptionist desk. 

"Hey Maria! This is the James I was talking to you about, he's here for his interview with Professor Fury," Natasha chirped, obviously friends with the brunette receptionist. The girl behind the desk smiled welcomingly to Bucky and extended her hand, which Bucky softly shook, smiling back at her.

"It's nice to finally meet you James!" Maria exclaimed.

"Please, just call me Bucky. Only Nat, and my parents, call me James," he replied stuffing his hands awkwardly into his pockets. 

"Bucky it is then." Maria grinned. "Professor Fury should be waiting for you in room 4, just down the hall to your right. Natasha you can stay here and chat before your first class starts of you'd like."

"Of course Maria! Good luck with your interview James, I'm sure you'll do great." Natasha gave a pat on Bucky's shoulder and sat down next to Maria.  
Bucky threw a smile behind him as he began walking down the hallway hearing Maria mutter "Nat, you didn't tell me he was more attractive than every guy I've ever seen combined," to Natasha as he left. Bucky smiled to himself and searched for the door with a number 4 on it.  
When he found said door he braced himself and nervously knocked on it, shuffling his weight from one foot to the other. 

"Come in," came a gruff voice from the other side of the door. Bucky carefully opened it and stumbled into the well lit room where he came face to face with a tall man wearing a long black coat and a slightly menacing looking eyepatch. 

"Hello. I'm Professor Fury, the head of this university and a professor in history. You must be James."

"Yes sir. I'd just like to thank you for this opportunity, I'm sure Natasha has told you but I've been struggling these past six months and this job could really help me, so I'm very grateful that you've agreed to interview me."

"Yes, Miss Romanov did mention to me that you've been having a hard time. She also informed me that you've recently returned home from the army and so I wanted to thank _you_ for serving this country."

"It was my pleasure sir," Bucky whispered bashfully.

"Now onto the actual interview."

"Yes of course," Bucky agreed, much more confident than he was before after the kindness of the professor.

 

Natasha was waiting for him in reception as soon as Bucky had finished his interview, an excited look on her face. He had been in there for a little over an hour, a lot longer than he had expected but he just seemed to get on well with Professor Fury (call me Nick) and although there was definitely a part of him that wanted the job, he was almost scared that he would get it. Although he knew it was unhealthy, he didn't want to change his current lifestyle. He still had a lot of problems from the army and how could he focus on fixing them if he had a full time job? There were also a lot of people working at a university and he knew that generally the staff were all pretty close friends - he certainly knew that Natasha socialised with her work friends an awful lot. He didn't think he was ready to make new friends and meet lots of new people, go out to drinks with people who were practically strangers as Natasha tried to make him seem like a lot more fun than he actually was. He had also become quite accustomed to being marginally drunk all hours of the day and he knew that he couldn't drink much if he had a job and that meant that he couldn't keep the nightmares and the flashbacks away as easily. That's why when a moment later he heard Professor Fury call for him to wait a moment, he had secretly hoped that he was going to outright say that he was too mentally damaged and couldn't get the job.

"I was going to think it over and call you later but I don't think I'm going to change my mind anytime soon and so I'm just going to tell you now. If you want it the job is yours!" Bucky quickly plastered on a fake grin as to not seem ungrateful or anger Natasha but he couldn't hide the flicker of dread and disappointment that bubbled up inside of him.

"I would love the job, thank you sir. I'm extremely grateful and so excited to start working for you," he lied, pretty convincingly he might add. 

"Excellent. Natasha will give you a rundown on the job as I will give her your file later and I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Thank-you again, sir."

"It's my pleasure Sergeant." Professor Fury smiled as he walked away, back into his office. Bucky tried not to let his fear show in front of his best friend and Maria. 

"James! I'm so proud of you!" Natasha cheered giving Bucky a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. Even though Bucky wishes that he hadn't been given the job, Natasha's enthusiasm about the whole ordeal made him almost glad he had.

"Thanks Nat, couldn't have done it without you."

"We should have a party or something to celebrate!" Maria suggested from behind her desk, jumping up and down excitedly. "We can invite the whole staff so you can meet them!"

"Ah thanks Maria but if I'm going to be working tomorrow I don't think a party would be the best idea. I'll meet everyone over time, especially with Nat on the case to try and get me to hook up with someone," Bucky laughed.

"Oh My God, did James Buchanan Barnes just turn down alcohol, I can't believe my ears. And it's been forever since you last went on a date so excuse me for trying to improve your social life." Natasha retorted, earning a hard glare from Bucky.

"So you're, single?" Maria asked firtatiously whist simultaneously flipping her hair off of her shoulder. 

"Yes he is and he's also a flaming homosexual so don't waste your time Maria." Natasha laughed at Maria's attempt to flirt.

"Nat!" Bucky scorned, his face heating with what felt like embarrassment.

"Ugh! All the cute guys are gay," Maria complained, looking very disappointed.

"Hey, uh, Maria would you mind not telling anyone. It's not that I'm in the closet or anything but it's quite personal to me and I'd like to tell people when I'm ready," Bucky asked apprehensively.

"Of course, that's no problem Bucky." She smiled warmly back at him.  
Bucky turned to leave, looking forward to being home where he could fret about his sudden change in lifestyle in peace.

"Oh and Nat you're coming over after work right?" He questioned hopefully, wanting to make sure that he'd have Natasha to tell him what he needed to do in his new job. 

"Yeah 'course Jamie." She smirked at him.

"Kay, cool. Also I already let you call me James, you call me Jamie one more time and I will kick your ass." He warned as he walked out of the door, hearing her chuckle behind him. 

 

It was much later in the day, after Bucky had let a few sobs escape him and after he'd curled up on his sofa in worry that Natasha came bursting through his door shouting, "honey, I'm home!"

"Hey Nat, I'm in the living room," came his slightly raspy voice, Bucky hadn't realised quite how much he had cried about his lost friends once he had returned to his apartment. 

"You alright James?"

"Hmm? Yeah I'm good, I just had a nap s'all," he lied, painting on a smile.

"Okay so we need to go through what you're going to be doing now that you're a university lecturer."

"Tell me all about it baby," Bucky chuckled as he sat up and made room for Natasha on his once dirty, now spotless sofa. 

"Okay so you're in the Red building which is mainly used for English but also has some art and biology halls. I'm in the Green building which is the building next door, so if you need anything I'm nearby. You've met Bruce before and he's in the Red building with you so you're not completely with strangers. The staff room is in the main building that you went in earlier today, that's where most of the staff chill when they have free periods or at breaks and lunch. However a lot of us also stay in our rooms to catchup on work or if we want a little more peace and quiet. Or to get away from Tony, who'll you'll meet, hate and then after a while love. There's also a library where I'm guessing you'll spend most of your time. Because you're new and have a few y'know mental problems right now you won't have that many classes, and almost none right next to each other. This means that you'll have time to recollect your thoughts between classes. You'll have a lesson schedule that you'll become accustomed to although you'll have to plan the majority of the content that you'll teach. I've had a look at the classes that you'll be teaching and the students you have are all great so that won't be an issue for you. Uh, what else? Oh you'll have to dress smart so tomorrow we'll have to go shopping," she explained helpfully.

"Wow, okay that's quite a lot to take in but I think I'm ready for tomorrow. Thanks Nat. I can't even remember what it feels like to have a real job."

"No problem James. I'm going to leave you to get a good nights sleep but I'll be back in the morning so I can walk in with you on your first day, show you where you need to go and all. I don't want you freaking out on me and leaving before you've already started," she chuckled, standing up. 

"Alright, I'll see you then." Bucky walked to his front door and held it open for his friend, smiling softly at her.  
Once she had left Bucky decided that if he didn't try to get sleep now he would be up until the early hours of the morning so he slugged into his bedroom and curled up under his duvet, dreading the following day. 

 

Bucky woke up with a headache and a pool of dread settled into the pit of his stomach. He thought a good nights sleep would help him settle his nerves but in the fresh light of the morning, he felt worse. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand before begrudgingly pulling himself out of bed and into the shower, laying out the clothes he wore yesterday on his bed. Bucky would be apprehensive about the all black theme of his appearance but he knew the colour suited him and so his clothes were the only thing about the day that he felt confident about.  
Natasha burst through his front door just as Bucky had finished his morning coffee, the nerves jittering around his body making the thought of food repulsive to him. 

"You ready to go?" She asked cheerfully, cocking her hip to the side. If Bucky was straight he suspected that him and Natasha would have hooked up a long time ago.

"Yup," came his unenthusiastic reply.

 

By the time they had walked to the university, they were right on time and Natasha had to run to a class. 

"Okay so the Red building is that one next to mine. You're in room 6H, it should say it on the door and I'll either see you in the staffroom or I'll come visit you in you're room when I have a free period. Good luck James, I'm sure you're going to do great," Natasha informed him as she darted off into the Green building.

"Thanks Tash," Bucky called at her disappearing figure. He could see the Red building from where he was standing which settled his stomach little. He started walking toward it slowly, he knew he didn't have a class first thing so he would have time to set up his room and sort out his lesson plans for the day.  
When he approached his building he could see a clear sign on the front informing him that it was indeed the Red building so he opened the door cautiously. The building was fairly big but not as big as the main building he was in yesterday, it was older looking too, more suiting to the feel of the university. He looked down the hallway and tried to remember the number of his room. What did Natasha say? 6B, 6V? He knew there was a six somewhere. He wandered down the hall looking for a room number that jogged his memory. With a panic rising in his throat he came to a stop outside room 6J. He looked at the little metal plaque intensely, trying to remember if this is the right room. 'Fuck it,' Bucky thought as he pushed open the door. 

He soon realised that it was definitely not the right room as when he opened the door he was met with a strong smell of paint and a circle with students sat behind canvases, who were all turned to look at him. Bucky thought about closing the door quickly and acting like nothing had happened but he really didn't want a repeat of the incident in another room and he still couldn't remember his room number. He also thought it may have appeared quite odd if he just turned and ran so he edged into the room and looked to the front of the class where he could see a blond man with the shoulder to waist ratio of a Dorito stood facing a large canvas on the wall.  
Bucky shuffled awkwardly and inched into the room slightly further, now standing completely in sight of everyone, with no way to hide. He cleared his throat awkwardly and who he assumed to be the teacher turned abruptly to look at him. For a moment Bucky could have sworn that his heart stopped and his breath caught in his throat. The man looked to be about 30, around the same age as him. His face structure was probably illegal and his muscles were well defined in his tight red button up. The adonis was looking at him dumbfounded and Bucky remembered that he was actually supposed to use words.

"Uh, hey, I'm uh the new English lecturer and I um forgot my room number, do you happen to know someone who might know it?" Bucky stuttered out, mentally cursing himself for being such an idiot.

"Oh you're Professor Barnes? Wow, I mean, yeah. Um I think you're in room 6H. It's nice to meet you," he rushed out, his cheeks flushing a subtle pink that Bucky didn't notice from where he was standing. 

"Thank you so much! You're a lifesaver!" Bucky exclaimed grinning widely at the insanely attractive man in front of him.

"No problem," he smiled, turning back to his canvas - and my god did Bucky have a heart palpitation at how good his butt looked in those tight trousers. He wishes he could have been one of this guys' students with the perfect angle they had.  
Bucky shut the door as he left and lent against it, sighing dreamily. he knew he was acting like a teenage girl but he didn't care. That had to have been the most visually appealing human on the planet, maybe he would enjoy his new job a lot more than he thought. Oh fuck, Bucky thought, he was in so much trouble.


	2. II

For the next hour, as Bucky rushed around his new classroom setting things up and sorting out a lesson plan, the extremely attractive art teacher lingered in the back of his mind. He made a mental note to mention him to Natasha to see if she knew him when he next saw her.

He was just finishing up planning his first lesson discussing ‘How To Kill A Mockingbird’ when a there was a light knock on his door. Expecting it to be Natasha, Bucky called out “Come in!” without even looking up from his desk. He kept his head down as he heard the door open and footsteps approach his desk, he was waiting for some sly remark from his best friend about how he had organised his desk in a way that wasn’t organised at all when a voice that _definitely_ wasn’t Natasha’s spoke up.

“I, uh just wanted to make sure you found your room okay?” Bucky’s head darted up at the deep voice that came from above him to see blond hair and a smiling (and beautiful) face. He thought he could hear a slight Brooklyn accent, but maybe he just missed home. 

“Oh, hey! Sorry, yeah I found it fine, thanks to you. Sorry that I interrupted your class.” Bucky apologised, cheeks heating in the presence of the art teacher. 

“Ah, s’no problem. I’m Professor Rogers by the way but just call me Steve.” 

“Well it’s nice to meet you Steve, I’m Bucky.”

“Bucky?” Steve questioned, clearly confused at Bucky’s unorthodox name.

“It’s short for my middle name, Buchanan.” Bucky clarified, smiling.

“Ah cool. Bucky. I like it.” Steve tested the name in his mouth. Bucky liked the way his name rolled off of Steve’s tongue like it was meant to say it. He tried not to let his mind wander to how his name might sound if Steve’s voice was moaning it instead. 

“Well thank you Steve,” Bucky chuckled, checking the time on his watch. “Well it’s been really good to talk to you Steve but I have a class in about five minuets and I still haven’t finished my lesson plan.”

“I better leave you to it then, see you around.” Steve grinned as he turned to leave.

“Yeah, see you around,” Bucky replied, sounding way dreamier than he had intended to. _Real subtle Barnes_ , he scolded himself. 

He went back to his lesson planning, his heart rate increasing as he thought about teaching his first class.  
As the students poured into his room he could see groups of girls looking over at him and whispering excitedly between them. He waited for everyone to settle down before introducing himself. 

“Hello. My name is Professor Barnes and I’m going to be your new English lecturer. We’ll start off by studying ‘How To Kill A Mockingbird,’ and I’ll try and learn as many of your names as I can.” He spoke professionally, leaning his butt on the edge of his desk as he spoke, arms folded over his defined chest for superiority.  
His class looked on with interest as he taught the class, trying to engage his students as much as possible, making jokes and asking questions. The students seemed to like him as they laughed at his witty remarks and asked intrigued questions often; seemingly enjoying the content he was teaching them.   
By the end of the class he had learned several more out-going student’s names and felt quite confident that he had done a good job.   
As they clambered out of his room the students called out a chorus of “bye Professor Barnes,” that made Bucky smile. He definitely liked the students in hid first class, when Natasha had said that they were good kids, she wasn’t kidding. 

Bucky now had 3 free periods before he taught his last class of the day. Professor Fury thought it best to start him off on his first day with only two classes, which Bucky very much appreciated. Since Bucky had already figured out his lesson plans for both classes he taught that day he though he would use the free time to check out the library that Natasha had mentioned, he would benefit from some time to clear his head and read.   
He locked the door to his room on the way out, double-checking the plaque on the front as to memorise the number (he didn’t want to make an idiot out of himself in front of Steve – or anyone else for that matter – again). 

Once he had found the library (turns out it’s not in the main building but has a building all to itself – thanks Maria) he began by searching the great expanse of books for one that he hadn’t read before. The library was huge – and beautiful – with its vintage decorations and wooden beams on the ceilings. There were spiralling staircases leading up to a second and third floor with secret little rooms hidden all over. It was the perfect get away place and Bucky was in love with it already.   
After a solid twenty minuets of searching Bucky finally found a book that appealed to him and pulled it off of the shelf, blowing off the dust and grinning like a madman at the familiar smell of a library. It brought back memories of him when he was a teenager, skipping class to hide in the Brooklyn library. He couldn’t go afterschool because god forbid anyone ever saw him at a _library_. He would for sure get beaten up if anyone found out that he enjoyed reading – or anything intellectual for that matter. He had found solace in libraries and so he was glad that his new work place had such a beautiful one. 

Bucky had found some far, deserted little corner of the library that he was curled up in, his entire mind immersed into his book when he heard a soft voice beckon out to him.

“I thought you might be in here,” Natasha hummed as she perched herself on a chair in front of Bucky, “although you have done a very good job at finding the most desolate area of the library.”

“I wanted some time to clear my head before my next class.” Bucky looked up from his book, placing it down next to him and turning his attention to the red head.

“How did your first class go? So far the only thing that I’ve heard from students is that they think you’re hot, like seriously you’ll have girls fawning _all_ over you.”

“Hmm, I’ll look forward to that,” Bucky snickered sarcastically, “but I think it went well. The students seemed engaged and I didn’t have a breakdown so all’s good baby.”

“Well I’m glad to hear that darling, I knew you’d be good at it. Have you spoken to Bruce yet?”

“No, I haven’t seen him yet, I’ll probably bump into him later though.”

“I’m not surprised, James Barnes, talk to people, who was I kidding,” she teased harmlessly.

“I, uh, actually did speak to someone. I forgot my room number and accidently crashed this guy’s art class but he was real nice about it, even came to check on me later.” Bucky blushed lightly as he talked about his new crush, trying so hard not to give anything away to Natasha. 

“Oh, really? D’you catch the guy’s name? I probably know him.” Natasha’s face had mild shock painted all over it. Bucky knew he was a bit damaged but she didn’t have to be so surprised that he did something as mundane as _talk_ to someone. 

“Uh, yeah. Steve… Rogers I think.” Bucky stalled as to not seem too eager. 

“Oh Steve! Yeah I’m really good friends with him. Great guy, really sweet. Like he’ practically the human embodiment of a golden retriever.” 

“Yeah, he was really nice.” 

“I mean he’s super good looking too. Right James?” Natasha asked wickedly, obviously Bucky hadn’t been as subtle as he thought because Natasha knew exactly what she was doing.

“Oh, uhm, I guess. I didn’t really notice.” Bucky lied, smiling falsely at his best friend.

“Sure you didn’t, because muscly blond guys who are sweeter than sugar – not to mention funny - just aren’t your type.” 

“Well, maybe I noticed that he was _attractive_ , sure.” 

“C’mon James, you totally like him. I know you. You crashed his class, stuttered over your words a little, he was incredibly sweet, you left his room and melted like a school girl and you’ve been thinking about him ever since.” She smiled wolfishly, knowing damn well she was right. 

“Yeah that pretty much sums it up.” Bucky admitted, knowing it was no use trying to trick Natasha, he could’ve sworn that woman worked for the CIA or something. 

“I am going to get you two to hook up by the end of the semester, I mean I don’t even know if he’s gay but that’s just technicalities right? Oh I’m going to have so mu-“

“Nat stop.” Bucky interrupted her rambling, “you are not going to mention a thing to him or anyone else. You are not going to even hint at the fact that I might like him. You are not even going to speak to him about me and you are _certainly_ not going to just casually mention in conversation that I’m gay and single. Please.” Bucky stared pointedly at her, she had to know he was serious or else she wouldn’t listen. 

“Alright James, don’t worry I won’t mention a thing to him or anyone else, I’m sorry.”

“S’okay. I better get back to my classroom and make sure I’m ready for my last class, I’ll wait for you outside the main building afterward.” He stood up, taking his half-read book with him, smiling at Natasha as he left. 

 

Bucky’s last class went as well as the first one and he left his new room proud of his day’s efforts.   
He waited for Natasha leant against the cold wall of the main building, his book open in his palm. He had three classes tomorrow and so he knew he would have less time to gather his thoughts but he still felt excited to have a little more to do. It turned out that his job did take his mind off of the nightmares he faced in the army and he was grateful for the distraction.   
He looked up from his book as he heard a low whistling from nearby. Bucky recognized the tune and tried to remember what it was, searching his mind thoroughly.  
“The Captain America theme tune?” Bucky asked himself rather than whoever was actually whistling the theme that he knew from his childhood so well. 

“Huh?” Came a dumbfounded reply to Bucky’s out loud internal monologue. Bucky looked up to see none other than Steve looking at him surprised. 

“I could hear humming and I was just trying to figure out what the tune was, the Captain America theme right? I loved those cartoons – and comics - when I was a kid.”

“Oh right yeah. I didn’t even realise I was humming it. I loved them too; I’d watch them every week at this local arcade because we didn’t have a TV. Man, that feels like a lifetime ago.” Steve reminisced, walking closer to Bucky to make it easier for them to talk. All thoughts about Bucky’s book had been abandoned in the presence of his new crush.

“ Yeah I did something similar, used to watch them at my local library, it was where I spent most of my time anyway.” 

“Would you mind if I asked you where you’re from?” 

“Brooklyn, born and raised.” Bucky answered proudly; he loved Brooklyn with his whole being and often missed it now that he was living in Chicago. 

“I thought so! I couldn’t miss a Brooklyn accent anywhere. I’m sure you’ve already noticed my accent but that’s where I’m from too, small world huh?” Steve also sounded proud to be from the city they apparently both shared.

“I recognised it earlier but wasn’t completely sure, but I’m glad that’s where you’re from. I can’t tell you how good it feels to hear a Brooklyn accent again – feels like home.”  
“Well ditto.” Steve smiled at Bucky for a little longer than strictly normal and it made Bucky’s heart beat a little faster in his chest. My God what was this man doing to him? 

“Hey darling! Ready to head home?” Bucky heard Natasha’s chirpy call coming from across the campus, when he looked in her direction he could see that she a pile of papers clutched in her small hands. That was one thing Bucky was _not_ looking forward to about being a teacher – the marking.

“Sup babe. I was just talking to Steve, did you know he’s from Brooklyn too?” 

“I should’ve known that both of yours extravagant loyalty for Brooklyn would be a bonding point.” Natasha chuckled, shaking her head lightly and linking her arm with Bucky’s, pecking him on the cheek, leaving a perfect red lipstick mark. Bucky thought that he saw Steve frown slightly at the display of affection from his best friend but he couldn’t be sure.

“Thanks Nat.” Bucky frowned as he wiped the lipstick off of his face.

“No problem. Sorry to tear you apart from your new bestie but we gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch Steve, say hi to Cap for me.” 

“I will! It was nice to talk to you again Bucky!” Steve grinned as Bucky and Natasha turned to walk home.

“Who’s Cap?” Bucky asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

“Oh he’s Steve’s dog, a white husky, super sweet. He loves me to death. I think it makes Steve jealous.” Natasha laughed as Bucky smiled at the thought of Steve having a dog. He was in too deep already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm sorry in advance if I don't post the third chapter for a little longer as I'm about to go back to school and I don't have wifi for about a month as I've just moved house. I'll try and post it as soon as possible but there might be a little wait, sorry! Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though nothing really happened in it. xx


	3. III

_Beep. Beep. Beep._  
Steve groaned as he woke up to the annoying sound of his alarm clock, cursing the fact that he had to wake up at 5:30. He had a pile of completed practice exam questions looming over him on his bedside table, evidence from where he had fallen asleep whilst marking last night – he really needed to create a sleep schedule. His head was pounding from the lack of sleep and the stress of work and as he crawled out of bed the only coherent thought on Steve’s mind was ‘coffee.’

Once he had arrived at work and had ravished about thirty mugs of caffeine, he was feeling much more awake and significantly less grumpy, even calling out a cheery ‘hey’ to all the colleagues he passed on the way to his room. Steve loved Thursdays, they were his favourite working day of the week because the angels above (by that he meant Professor Fury) had decided to bless him and only give him two classes to teach that day, a luxury that he did not take for granted. This meant that he had free periods that he didn’t have to spend marking but could talk to his friends or read in the library. He knew that he was at work to do just that – work, but he thought that since he was one of the students’ favourite teachers, he deserved a day where he didn’t have to work quite as hard.  
His lessons where perfectly scheduled too, one first thing in the morning and one at the very end of the day, meaning that he had the majority of the day to himself. He thought about what he could do with his spare time whilst setting up hurriedly for his morning class with his favourite students. He knew he wasn’t technically supposed to have a favourite class but he couldn’t help it, it wasn’t like he told them they were his favourite. 

“Hey Sir! How are you doing today?” One of his students asked as they strolled into the classroom, settling at their desk.

“I’m good thanks, tired but chipper nonetheless.” Steve replied, grinning. 

“You know you talk like a ninety year old Sir?” Another student laughed as they walked past, causing a few of his friends to chuckle.

“Hilarious, now sit down, I have a chill lesson planned for you all today. I’m sure you’ll all love it.” Steve informed the class enthusiastically. “Today, we’re going to be watching a movie about the techniques of Picasso, so that you can all work on mirroring his style for an assignment,” he cheered, setting up the movie. He heard groans from behind him.

“Sir! Why can’t we watch an interesting movie for once? All the ones you let us watch are about technique or ‘inspiration.’” A student called out, mockingly using his fingers as quotation marks.

“Because, the films I show you are the ones that you’re going to learn something from. Stop complaining, you’re lucky I let you watch movies at all.” 

“Professor Barnes said that if we behave this semester then at the end of it we get to pick any movie we want to watch! And he said he’d even buy us popcorn.” Steve stiffened slightly at the mention of the new teacher, it wasn’t as if Steve had spent the majority of the night before trying to sketch Bucky’s perfect lips and gorgeous eyes - but he totally had and in the light of a new day he had realised how creepy he was, he had only known the guy a day. 

“Yeah well Professor Barnes is new and probably just wants you to like him. I already know how much you guys worship me so I’m not going to bribe you for acceptance with meaningless promises.” Steve smirked as he turned the lights off and turned the movie on, moving his chair so that he could watch the movie easily.  
Granted, he wasn’t actually paying attention to the movie, but his mind was rather preoccupied with the thoughts of the new professor. He didn’t know why but he just couldn’t get him out of his head. Okay so maybe he did know why, it was the rugged handsomeness, the sincerity when he spoke, the perfect body beneath that tight fitting shirt, the awkward demeanour and ughhhh oh God Steve needed to stop. He’s about to become a full time creeper. 

“Uh, excuse me?” A timid voice came from the doorway. When Steve turned his head to see who was at the door his heart nearly skipped beat, ‘speak of the devil’ he thought. 

“Ah, Professor Barnes, what can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of Professor Banner’s room?”

“Oh, of course. He’s in room 6T.” Steve supplied helpfully with a kind smile. 

“Thank you so much,” Bucky grinned as he shuffled out the door and down the corridor. Steve heard a girl behind him exclaim ‘he is just so swoon worthy’ to her friends, and he couldn’t agree more.

 

Steve spent the majority of his day sitting quietly in the library, sketching the beautiful interior design. His favourite pastime had always been drawing, it was the reason he was an art teacher after all. He was just finishing shading the shadows that cascaded over the bookshelves when he heard clicking heels approaching him.  
“Hello Steve. I thought I might find you holed up drawing somewhere.” Came Natasha’s silky voice from above him. Steve looked up and smiled widely, over the past few years he and Natasha had formed quite a bond and she was now one of his closest friends. 

“Hey Nat what’s up?” 

“I had a class cancelled so I thought I’d hang out with you for a while. We haven’t spoken as much as we used to recently.” She sat down next to him, shuffling around slightly to find the most comfortable position. 

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. Is there anything in particular you want to talk about?” Steve questioned, closing his sketchbook and putting it away.

“Not really, just wanted to chat like we used to. Hey, do you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend yet?” Natasha’s eye’s brightened as she asked him. She was always way too interested in Steve’s love life but he couldn’t really complain because she did make an excellent wing-woman.  
Natasha was one of a few friends who knew that Steve was bisexual. He didn’t tell many people at all, not because he was ashamed but more because he was scared. He didn’t want the attention, good or bad that came from coming out. 

“Ha, no Nat. Not yet.” Steve said dully. He hadn’t been with anyone since his high school sweetheart Peggy. Sure a few dates here and there but he had never truly been able to get over her sudden death. He had also never been able to get over the anger that he felt because of what had happened. Some drunk driver who came out unscathed took away the one person Steve loved the most. 

It wasn’t fair.

Pushing all thoughts of Peggy from his mind, the only way he found that could actually help him get over her, he let his mind wander to the new English professor and his lips curled upwards subconsciously. 

“Ah! You’re smiling! You like someone, ooh Stevie has a crushhh!” Natasha teased in a singsong voice, giggling like a schoolgirl. Steve could feel his whole face heat up as he desperately tried to deny her claim.

“What? No I don’t. I don’t like anyone!” Steve did _not_ want Natasha to find out that he was developing a crush on her best friend. Steve had heard Natasha mention Bucky (well ‘James”) at work before but he had never imagined how perfectly perfect Natasha’s friend would be. 

“You totally do. Come on Rogers don’t bullshit me.” Natasha made piercing eye contact that Steve knew he couldn’t lie to. He sighed dramatically and decided to just give up now rather than wasting energy on attempting to dissuade her.

“Fine. I might, maybe, like someone a tiny bit. It’s nothing really I mean I barely know the guy-“ Steve stopped short as he realised that he probably shouldn’t have said that. Crap.

“Ooh! So it’s a guy who you barely know. Okay that narrows it down. I’m assuming they’re from work seeing as you have pretty much no other friends and you sure as hell don’t have a social life apart from your volunteering at old people’s homes. And I really hope that you don’t have a crush on an 90 year old.” Natasha scrunched her face up in disgust.

“Hey! I do have a social life thank you!” Steve exclaimed offended. 

“Do I know them?” 

“I’m not telling you Nat.”

“Okay so that’s a yes. Hmm. Interesting.” 

“Nat just drop it, I’m never going to tell you so you may as well just give up now.” Steve looked up from where he was absentmindedly looking at his fingers to hide his blushing cheeks to Natasha’s face and was admittedly quite worried when he saw a mischievous glint in her emerald green eyes. 

“Thanks Steve this has been a great chat but I have to go see you later!” Natasha rushed out as she scrambled to her feet and practically skipped out of the library. Steve knew that she was definitely up to something and he was dreading whatever it might be. Natasha’s mischievous ideas and plans never worked out well for Steve, or anyone else for that matter. He sighed in apprehension and pulled his sketchbook out of his bag again, continuing to sketch the library. 

If Natasha had any idea who his crush was then God help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me so long to publish and it's a pretty bad chapter I'm so sorry! I hope you enjoy it anyway and I'll try and update the next chapter in less time. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, it's probably a little longer than the majority of the chapters are going to be as I wanted the intro to the story to be a little more substantial. Also I'm just a small English crumpet so I have no idea how American universities work so if I get this all wrong I'm very sorry! Anyway, like I said I hope you enjoyed and if you have any suggestions for my writing and/or storytelling I'd be very grateful to hear them, thank you! xx


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